Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Global Digital Marketing Conference held in San PedroBelize Yellow Pages hosted their signature Global Digital Marketing Conference in San Pedro Town on Wednesday, October 19th. Participants from various businesses across the island convened at the Sun Breeze conference room from 8:30AM to 11AM, where two presenters shared their extensive knowledge of digital marketing.
In order to make the conference possible, Belize Yellow Pages partnered with Google Inc. Presenters for the conference were Digital expert Gabriel Parra from Google and Mobile expert Rasheed Girvan from Global Directories. “Digital Marketing is one of the most effective means of advertising. At the conference, participants learned how to make it work for their business by increasing reach and engage existing and potential customers while maximizing returns. The Belize Yellow Pages Digital Marketing Conference provided business owners and marketing managers with international best practices, marketing strategies and tools needed to grow a business of any size,” explained Eileen Keens of the Belize Yellow Pages team.

The San Pedro Sun launches 25th Anniversary ExhibitThe San Pedro House of Culture is featuring an exhibition on the history of The San Pedro Sun Newspaper. The exhibit was launched on Friday, October 14th and celebrates the island newspaper’s 25th anniversary. Residents and visitors gathered at the SPHC on Angel Coral Street at 7PM to check out the exhibit detailing the evolution of the paper. Also speaking at the event was Eileen Jamison, former owner of the paper who shared some words, expressing gratitude to the gathered crowd, and thanking the community for having welcomed the paper so warmly. The exhibit showcases everything from the start of the newspaper when it used to be called the Coconut Wireless to its transition into The San Pedro Sun in 1991.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro's Iris Salguero Wins Miss World Belize TitleIris Salguero once again makes San Pedro proud by winning the title of Miss World Belize 2016-2017. Many gathered at the Log Cabin Inn on Saturday, October 22, 2016, to witness this event. A total of 4 contestants graced the stage with their beauty; Iris won Miss Top Model, Miss Eloquent, and the title of Miss World Belize.
Iris leaves the country on November 27, 2016 to represent Belize on the Miss World stage in Washington, D.C. USA on December 18th, 2016. She will compete in fast track categories that include World Beach Beauty, Beauty with a Purpose, Sports Challenge, Talent and Top Model. The winner of these events automatically make it into the semifinals of Miss World.

San Pedro to Benefit from Development Training ServicesMayor of San Pedro Town signed a memorandum of corporations with Belize Trade and Investment Development Services (BELTRAIDE) under the Small Business Development Center Belize (SBDC Belize) on Friday, October 21, 2016 at the San Pedro Town Council conference room.
This memorandum had been discussed over a period of 6 to 7 months, with ideas being exchanged and drafts being reviewed and approved it was finalized. This will help in areas such as trading and working with industry; and working with small businesses to improve on the economic conditions of San Pedro.
The mayor stated, “The beauty is that we can never be prepared for the unexpected. Due to developing lots of business and San Pedro growing so fast, with the help of BELTRAIDE to train in different areas of business San Pedro will provide better service to residents and visitors.”

Misc Belizean Sources

Click on this link to register your opposition to Seismic Blasting in BelizeDangerous seismic airgun blasting could soon resume in Belize’s vibrant waters any day now. Manatees, dolphins, coral reefs, commercially important fish stocks, and the Belizean people’s very way of life are all at risk.
Belize's marine life and citizens had no warning of this grave threat. Belize's government has secretly been working on plans to explore for oil along its barrier reef using seismic blasting – despite public promises that it would ban drilling. It’s on us to hold the government accountable, before it’s too late.
Add your name now – Tell the government of Belize to immediately ban dangerous seismic blasting and honor its promises to ban drilling.

Hon. Edmond Castro Sworn In as Minister of Transport and NEMOHon. Edmond Castro was today sworn in as the Minister of Transport and National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) by the Governor General of Belize H.E. Sir Colville Young at the Belize House in the City of Belmopan.
Hon. Castro was joined by his family, colleagues and CEO in his ministry. Minister Castro was previously the Minister of State in the Ministry of Works, Transport and NEMO.

Oyinkro Wins in MiamiTo God be the glory. I'm thankful for where I am in my life and can't wait for what the future holds. Came to Miami for a tough competition and crushed it. I participated in three different class and placed on top for all of them. 3rd place Classic Physique, 1st Place Novice physique, 1st place Open Physique and 2nd overall physique. Official #NPC CHAMP and making my way in becoming pro and bringing more international recognition to Belize through what I love. Dayana Cadaeu classic was a stepping stone for me and I'm thankful for having the opportunity. Thanks to who all made this possible. Mr Omar Habet, Mr Colin Griffith, Jason Badillo of Powerade, Cindy Clare Martin, Ruth Sviercovich, Guy Neal, Team African and my fellow coach and trainer over this side. Thank you so much. Came in a rookie and left a champ letting them know I'm coming.

WOMEX 16 AwardsAnd so WOMEX draws to a close for another year, and we ended on a high, celebrating the achievements of three pioneers in the world of music with our annual WOMEX Awards:
Artist Award: Calypso legend Calypso Rose;
Professional Excellence Award: Colombian hip-hop school 4Elementos Skuela and its founder Henry Arteaga.
Label Award: Glitterbeat Records.
More WOMEX 16 photos and videos coming soon, we would like to thank everyone who joined us at WOMEX 16 for making it so special.

BEL Expresses Concern for Family Who Lost Home in FireBelize Electricity Limited (BEL) expresses sympathy to a family who recently lost their home in a fire, which is suspected to have started from a candle. The Company is deeply concerned by the fact that, in 2016, Belizeans still continue to lose their homes, valuable possessions and risk the lives of their entire family through the use of candles.
BEL provides opportunities for customers and potential customers to access safe, reliable and affordable electricity through the following offers:
1. Customers who are unable to pay their bill on time, may visit or call any BEL office countrywide to make a reasonable payment arrangement.

San Ignacio Resort Hotel Wins 2 BTB AwardsCongratulations, San Ignacio Resort Hotel! The SIRH won 2 awards from the Belize Tourism Board at the 14th annual Belize Tourism Awards. They won the Hotel of the Year award, and the Best Restaurant award for their Running W Restaurant. Well deserved!

Over a thousand petitions were signed by islandersAgainst 'Offshore Oil Drilling on Belizean Waters!' This was followed by a march of concerned residents who took the signed petitions to the residence of the Area Representative Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr.

Multinational Security Cooperation Conference Held in BelizeThe Belize Coast Guard hosted a Multilateral Security Cooperation Conference at the Coast Guard Headquarters on George Price Highway in Belize City. The main purpose of the conference was for the allied nations of Belize to understand the security cooperation and military capacity building requirements of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) and Belize Coast Guard (BCG), in order to synchronise and harmonise activities to prevent duplication or missed opportunities.
This year’s Conference was chaired by the CEO of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Felix Enriquez, and was attended by Defence Attachés and Command Representatives from Belize’s Military Allies, including Brigadier General Kevin Iiams from the United States Southern Command; Brigadier General Michael McGovern from the United Kingdom London District Command; Navy Captain Paul Dempsey, Canadian Defence Attaché; and General Gilberto Martinez, Mexican Army Defence Attaché - all of whom gave updates on the progress of ongoing military supporting activities to Belize and planned support for the coming years up to 2018.

Ascenthium Playing Wingz BenqueAscenthium will be playing on Friday, October 28th, at Wingz Benque. They'll also be playing at the Cayo Welcome Center on Saturday.
"BENQUE VIEJO! Mark the date as we hit you with a double setlist! The show starts a @10pm and ending at 1am! Its gonna be an all night party with: scary and sexy costumes, finger-licking food, awesome drinks and great live music! Wings Benq is the place to be This Friday night!"

Yochi Premiers at Belize International Film FestivalYochi, which was filmed here in Cayo, will premier at the Belize International Film Festival. It's getting great reviews, and is getting noticed.
"Yochi, a film written and directed by Las Cruces filmmaker Ilana Lapid, will premiere at the 2016 Belize International Film Festival"

Too Precious to Drill: The Marine Biodiversity of BelizeThe April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico has sharpened attention on the oil spills occurring in many parts of the world ocean, and their potential damaging effects on marine ecosystems and the living organisms they sustain. This report focuses on the sustainability of marine fisheries of Belize in the face of potential impacts of ocean threats – in particular, oil spills. The report is timely and important in at least two ways. First, it addresses oil spills in the ocean, which occur frequently worldwide and can have significant effects on life in the ocean and the wellbeing of the people dependent on it. Second, the report focuses on a small developing country, Belize – an example of a country that does not usually receive the attention it deserves by researchers, even though the ocean and the resources it contains is the main source of existence for its citizens. Thirdly, this work is a collaboration between academic researchers, NGOs and management partners, thereby making the research output more relevant to real life problems.
This report consists of several chapters that tackle issues ranging from the ecology of the marine ecosystem of Belize right through to the economic benefits currently derived from activities dependent on the ecosystem. These include fishing, angling and whale(shark) watching. A crucial point made in the report is that while oil is a non-renewable resource, fish is renewable. This means that in comparing the benefits from drilling the marine ecosystem of Belize, it is important that in the short term, possibly larger benefits from oil drilling should not be allowed to trump benefits that, if well-managed and protected, are capable of continuing to flow through time, benefiting all generations.

Channel 7

Coast Guard Officer Arzu Shot In The HeadThere was a shooting in Belize City which has landed one man in the hospital tonight. The victim has been identified by his family to us as Daniel Arzu, a Coast Guard Officer.
The incident happened in the vicinity of Penn Road. According to the sister-in-law of the victim, who preferred to remain anonymous recounted what transpired in what she says was a fraction of a minute:
VOICE OF: Sister-in-law:
"My brother and I, who was a coast guard, we were in the house. I was on the chair watching a movie and my brother was sleeping when I heard my brother in law vehicle came, I knew the sound of it because he stays here. When he was coming inside I saw his face turn towards the door because he was talking to somebody but I thought it was the guy who comes to collect rent but it wasn't him. When I looked up I saw a tall dark skin man come in the house but I didn't see his face because I saw him point a gun down. When he point the gun, I saw my brother trample back way to get a stance back and I horridly woke up my other brother who was in the chair."

Capital City Business Man Claims MIT ExtortionResidents of Belmopan may know businessman Raul Acevedo. He's an importer who travels to Mexico regularly to import various items for sale. Right now, he currently moves 500 kinds of goods over the border at different intervals. He claims that he was returning this weekend, from one such trip with his wife, when he was intercepted by officers of the Mobile Interdiction Team. He had already cleared customs in Corozal and paid duty, but he did have one undeclared box of perfumes. And that's what got him in trouble with the MIT - except he says they weren't looking for a customs offense, he claims they wanted a bribe.
He says that after hours in detention, they they played on the fear of his wife, who didn't want to go to jail for contraband, who convinced him that they would let him go if he paid them $2,000. He admits that he eventually did pay it in 16 thousand Mexican pesos, but that's after he knocked down the price; they originally wanted $5,000 dollars.

Accused Rogue Cop VindicatedYou may remember Police Constable Jermaine Mangar as the cop who was accused by his police bosses of masterminding a crime ring which was suspected of conducting a series of high-profile robberies back in 2010. A few months later, he was freed of the first charge, which was being used to connect him to that case, and today, he was finally able to leave court for the last time after the DPP's Office withdrew the second charge.
You'll remember it as the case where the cops supposedly caught him in the act supposedly after setting a sting. He allegedly planned a robbery of Chon Saan Restaurant, after the police foiled that crime, they turned one of the alleged accomplices into an informant who reportedly lured Mangar out to an arrest. The cops say that they instructed the accomplice to get Mangar to expose himself. He supposedly did this by phoning this mastermind, and telling him that the proceeds of the robbery, which didn't happen, was being shared out, and he was to come get his cut.

Promising Bravo Technician Dies In Motorcycle AccidentTonight a family from Fresh Pond in the Belize Rural area is mourning the loss of their loved-one who died from a motorcycle accident. The victim is 26 year-old Nitaya Locke, who was recently living in Lords Bank Village, and according to friends of the deceased, the accident happened between 11:30 p.m. and 12 midnight on Friday, October 21.
Locke was heading home on her cycle when she crashed in front of the Triple A Security Firm's office, which is located at Miles 2 and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway.
Today, our news team visited with her family and friends to find out what went terribly wrong. Courtney Weatherburne has that story:
Nitaya Locke had been working at Bravo Motors since April. She was the first certified female Junior Technician and she definitely left an impression.

Still No Meeting On Strike Fund CompromisePayday for the teachers is coming up on this Friday, and all teachers, even those who went on the 11-day strike, won't have to worry about this paycheck being docked for their industrial action. But come next month, it is uncertain whether those teachers will be paid for those 11 school days at the end of November.
There is a proposal on the table from Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, for the the BNTU to use its strike fund to pay those teachers who didn't go to work. If the fund does not have all the money to cover the entire amount, that's when the Government will be willing to step in and supplement with monies of their own.

Coast Guard Officer Alleges Rape AttemptEarlier in the newscast we told you about the shooting of a coast guard officer, well another coast guard officer was allegedly almost raped by 2 men in Ladyville. 24 year old Ronald Hernandez was hanging out at the home of 2 men when they allegedly grabbed him and tried to rape him. Reports are that Hernandez fought them off with a chisel and a machete. Ladyville police told us more about this rare case.
Inspector Juanito Cocom - OC, Ladyville Police:
"This morning about 12:30am, Ronald Hernandez, 24 year old Belizean Coast Guard of Palmar Road Orange Walk District arrived at the Ladyville Police Station in a grey Toyota Hilux. Upon his arrival, it was noted that he was fully covered with blood. He stated that he was socializing with two persons at a residence of Perez Road in Ladyville when he was sexually accosted by the two men. He claims that they attempted to rape him and that he fought them off. Shortly thereafter a person arrived at the station bringing two male persons bleeding profusely. Both men are of #14 Heckler Wood Road, Ladyville Village. Both were immediately transported to the Belize City and are presently at the Belize Medical Associates undergoing treatment. They received wounds to the head and are listed in a stable condition."

Hattieville Cops Got Sawed Off ShotgunCops from the 3 Eastern Division Jurisdictions of North Side, Southside, and Rural were active this weekend, and they each took illegal guns and drugs off the street. And, it's all due to accurate police intelligence.
We start first in Hattieville where the police made a gun seizure. The Officer Commanding the Ladyville Police shared a few details:
Inspector Juanito Cocom - OC, Ladyville Police:
"Hattieville relief personnel confiscated a saw-off shotgun at a yard in America Street, Hattieville Village. Presently an investigation is being carried out as there is information of who might have placed that firearm there. If no evidence is obtain to link the person to the firearm, it will be deposited as found property."

Hattieville Cops Seized Weed Peddler's CargoRural cops then busted a man with 32 pounds of weed on Sunday morning. It happened around 9:35, when Police stopped Benque Viejo resident Angel Vidal at the mile 15 check point on the Western Highway. They searched his vehicle and found several parcels of weed in his trunk. Police told us more about this major bust.
Inspector Juanito Cocom - OC, Ladyville Police:
"At 9:35am in Sunday, 23rd October, Hattieville police on a vehicle checkpoint at mile 15 on the George Price highway stopped a red Geo Prism vehicle driven at the time by Angel Vidal, 30 years, Belizean taxi driver of Central America Street, Benque Viejo. At the time he was accompanied by a minor. Searches on a luggage in the trunk of the vehicle revealed 16 parcels of suspected cannabis, amounting to 14.870 kilos. Both persons were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. They were arraigned today at magistrate court Belize City where Vidal pled guilty. He was fined $10,000 to be paid by 24th October, 2017. In default, 3 years imprisonment. The vehicle was forfeited as well and the charges against the minor were withdrawn."

Southside Cops seized Guns/Drugs Out of Lake IEastern Division South also made their own drug and firearm busts in the Saint Martin De Porres. This morning, the Southside Police Commander told us that they came upon the illegal items due to assistance of the general public which has embraced their community policing efforts:
ACP Chester Williams - Commander, Southside:
"Over the past couple of months, the public has been very supportive of the work of the police on south side Belize City and that relationship that we have fostered with the public continues to pay dividends for us and yesterday was another example where on 3 different occasions police received information and acting upon those information received, we were able to confiscate from the streets of Belize City yesterday 2 firearms; that is a 9mm pistol with 18 live rounds and one .38 revolver. "

Island Cops Seize HandgunSan Pedro police were also on the prowl for interdiction opportunities, and this morning at around 1:30, they busted island resident Forest Green with this handgun, which was loaded with 4 live rounds of 9mm ammunition.
He has been arrested and charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition.

Tourism Minister Discusses Public Outrage On Seismic TestingLast week, faster than you could say, "wheel and come again" government had to reverse its position on undersea seismic testing - and send the Northern Explorer vessel away, pronto. The vessel had already gone out into the seas, which incensed the conservation minded citizens of San Pedro. They made their displeasure known to their area representative Manuel "Junior" Heredia - at a stormy consultation in the island town. Within two hours of getting an ultimatum from the San Pedranos at the consultation, Government had to issue sheepish release, saying the seismic survey would stop immediately. It's the kind of real-time public-policy reversal which you just don't see - and it's indicative of a weary government which can scarcely afford any more public pushback, and a populace which is fed up with what they see Belmopan's high-handedness. Now, Belmopan got the message, alright, but the messenger also faced a kind of public political lynching. On Saturday, we asked Juniour Heredia about the quite remarkable sequence of events:...

Offshore Oil: Development Vs ConservationNow, government has said that it will "suspend seismic testing until proper consultations can be held," and that's because Government is determined to extract offshore oil if it can be found outside protected areas and world heritage site. Heredia discussed the conflict between the development dilemma and the conservation agenda:...
Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism:
"There has to be other alternatives. Why don't we come together, find areas where we can find common goals where we can work together to bring more economic prosperity to this country. It's just about just not saying, "no, no, no" to everything. You want to do a project a nice hotel like the DiCaprio one, and there are people that are saying forget about that. Then where will the jobs go?"
OCEANA has said the pushback is not against seismic testing, it's about the prospect of offshore oil exploration - which many oppose.

Hon. Heredia Says He's Ready For Senate InquiryHe may have backed down when the residents of San Pedro braced him at a consultation last week, but Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia isn't backing down when it comes to the Audit of the Immigration Department. His name appears almost 30 times in the Nationality Audit - but he says he will face any Senate probe confidently because he did nothing wrong:
Jules Vasquez, 7News:
"There is going to be a senate special select committee, your name is in the reports a number of times, the favors you've done for the Hamze family, are you concerned?"
Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism:
"I have walked a straight line I will continue to walk a straight line. Those reports that are there is nothing, and I am willing to stand before any senate committee and give testimony of what they want and I told you also that I am seeking legal advice and if need be, I will also make sure it goes to court for clarification. Because there is nothing bigger than the name of a person. Whatever I have to do to clarify my name I will do Jules."

Police Make Arrest In Student Stabbing17 year-old Belize City student, Kenroy Daly continues to receive medical treatment after he was attacked and stabbed in the chest by a group of young men.
Police investigating say that on Friday night at around 11:50 p.m., Daly was riding his bike on Raccoon Street Extension where he was attacked and stabbed multiple times. Today, the Southside Commander told us that his investigators have already made an arrest in the case:
ACP Chester Williams - Commander, Southside:
"On Friday night, sometime after 11pm, the police received information of a male person who was seen lying down on the street in the area of Raccoon Street and Boulevard. Police responded and upon arrival they found the person to be one Kenroy Daly, a 17 year old. He appeared to have been severely beaten and stabbed. He was rushed to the KHMH by the police and he is currently admitted in a critical but stable condition. We are hoping for his full recovery. Police investigation has so far led to the arrest of a 16 year old in respect to that matter. He was charged with attempted murder and dangerous harm."

A Final Farewell To Michael YoungThis evening, family, friends, colleagues of Senior Counsel Michael Young gathered at the Wesley Methodist Church to pay their respects at the Funeral Services. It was not a state funeral, but with all the government officials, and the members of the legal fraternity who joined his family in the church, it might as well have been.
Among the speakers this evening were Prime Minister Dean Barrow, his brother Denys, and his law partner Rodwell Williams. Each men made sure to tailor their remarks to encapsulate a different aspect of his personality and his accomplishments as a distinguished Belizean. Here's an excerpt of what they said:
Michael Young was laid to rest at Homeland Memorial. Tomorrow, the judges will suspend all court cases to hold a special sitting of the Supreme Court in his honor.

Tourism Industry ConferenceEvery year, the BTB holds its Tourism Industry Conference. It's a time for the BTB as nominal industry leader to sort of set the tone for the coming year, and offer guidance in marketing strategies to a cross section of stakeholders from international consultants. And while that happens in the daytime, at night, they host the annual Tourism Awards. This year, the daytime event was all about riding the wave of record arrivals and figuring out how to keep growing, but, also to keep up with the growth. Alex Courtenay reports:

Hon. "Clear The Land" Now A Full MinisterLast week we told you about the changes that the Prime Minister is making to fill that void left behind by Gaspar Vega's tumble out of his Cabinet. Today, Edmond "Clear-the-land" Castro's promotion was made official. The former Minister-of-State was officially sworn in as the Minister of Works, Transport and NEMO.
Castro's shift was just the first in the Barrow Cabinet's reshuffling. Former Minister-of-State for Youth Sports and Culture Elodio Aragon is moving to the Ministry of Home Affairs, now under the Prime Minister. Godwin Hulse has been assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, the Environment and Sustainable Development. And Hugo Patt adds the Ministry of Public Service, Energy and Public Utilities to his portfolio.

BDF And the Multilateral Security ConferenceAs a key area in the Southern border of North America, the capabilities of the BDF is important in the security of the entire continent. That is why the BDF is hosting the Multilateral Security Conference, where ally countries send their military representatives to discuss what Belize needs in order to maintain peace in the region. Here's what Brigadier General David Jones told us about the conference...
This was the first year that the Dutch and Mexican militaries attended the conference. Each allied military commits to assisting the BDF in terms of performance, especially when it comes to training officers in specialized positions.

BEL Sympathizes With Anna CardeOn our Friday newscast, we told you about plight of Belize City resident Anna Card. Her house completely burnt down on Thursday night after she forgot a candle burning in her home. She explained that she was forced to use them after BEL cut out her power. They did it, she said, because they suspected that someone was stealing electricity, and she couldn't afford to pay the bill.
Well, determined not to live up to the appearance of corporate indifference in this matter, the electricity company sent us another public statement to note their attention to the case. That press release says, quote, "Belize Electricity Limited...expresses sympathy to a family who recently lost their home in a fire, which is suspected to have started from a candle. The Company is deeply concerned by the fact that, in 2016, Belizeans still continue to lose their homes, valuable possessions and risk the lives of their entire family through the use of candles.

Local Cubs Fans RejoiceThe Chicago Cubs - if you didn't live in Belize City in the early 1980's - you might not understand the weird connection that city residents feel to those loveable losers. You see, for city residents, when television first came in 1981, one of the only two channels on the air was locked in to Chicago's WGN around the clock - and that channel showed every Cubs game, all 162 of them. Now, this is pre-cable television, pre-internet, pre cell phone, pre colour TV in many cases - I mean, shucks, we only had one radio station!...if you can imagine all that.

Channel 5

Accident Kills Pioneering Female MechanicNitaya Locke was the first female auto-mechanic in a male dominated industry. She has a level-two mechanical engineering degree, was certified by Isuzu and was employed at Bravo Motors in [...]

Michael Young is Laid to Rest in Belize CityA somber moment today, as hundreds gathered to bid Senior Counsel Michael Young farewell at Wesley Methodist Church in Belize City. Of the many in attendance at the funeral service, [...]

Woman Mugged Near Home in Downtown Belize CityWell-known Breastfeeding Counselor Penny Casasola was robbed on Friday night around seven-thirty, just outside her home on Rectory Lane. The elderly woman was attacked and robbed by a man on [...]

More Guns Off the StreetsIn other news out of Eastern Division South; tonight, police say there are two fewer guns on the street. With assistance from the public, they were able to recover two [...]

Best in Tourism Honoured in National AwardsThe fourteenth National Tourism Awards were held on Saturday night. The annual show put off by the Belize Tourism Board is to recognize the best in the tourism industry. The [...]

LOVE FM

Police Constable Mangar Freed of Charge After Six Years of InterdictionIn April 2010, the life and career of Police Constable Jermaine Mangar spiralled into uncertainty as he was accused of being a rogue cop. It is an incident whereby Mangar has maintained innocence throughout the last six and a half years that he has been on interdiction from the Belize Police Department. Innocence or not, […]

Coast Guard Man Says He Defended Himself After Being Sexually Aggressed UponLadyville Police are investigating a report made by a member of the Belize Coast Guard. The 24-year-old man went to the Ladyville Police Station early this morning where he claims two men made sexual advances on him. Assistant Superintendent Commissioner of Police, Juanito Cocom shared the details. JUANITO COCOM “He stated that he was socializing […]

Belize Coast Guard Member Shot to the HeadPolice are looking into a shooting incident that has a member of the Belize Coast Guard critical at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City. 28-year-old, Daniel Arzu of a Neal’s Pen Road address was shot this evening at the apartment complex where he lives at around five o’clock this evening. The bullet entered […]

Minor Arrested for the Savage Stabbing of Kenroy DalyA 17-year-old student was badly beaten on Friday night. The incident occurred at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Maskall Street. Police say the teenager was attacked by three men. He was stabbed twice- once to the chest and on the face. He is hospitalized in a critical condition. Assistant Commissioner of Police Commanding […]

Ruling Favors Chief Pharmacist; GOB Ordered to Pay for DefamationThree Government officials were sued in the courts for defamation of character after certain statements were made against the Chief Pharmacist, Sharon Anderson. Today, Justice Shona Griffith issued her judgement on the matter which was in favour of Anderson who was represented by Attorney Herbert Panton. HERBERT PANTON “Essentially three officers of government namely the […]

BEL Caters to the Poor with Light on a Payment PlanThe frequency of fires caused by burning candles has propelled the Belize Electricity Limited to offer families that are struggling financially affordable payment plans. In A Press Release issued today, BEL expressed concern for families who have lost all property and risk their lives because they cannot afford to pay for electricity. BEL says that […]

Founding Member of Workers’ Union Appalled at Financial IssuesLast week Friday we showed you cheques written out to Ramiro Gongora, Gilberto Castillo and Malco Cabrera. Gongora is the Chairman of the Belize Workers Union and Castillo and Cabrera are executive members. These men are being accused of misusing the funds of the BWU. The cheques written to them were cashed using the unions […]

Bus Driver Needs Help in Financing Open Heart SurgeryThe family of 44 year old Tyron Coleman needs your help. Coleman who is a driver for James Bus Line, needs to undergo open heart surgery but first he needs to be airlifted to the Cayman Islands. His family is trying to secure funds to get him to the Cayman Islands. Coleman’s sister in law, […]

GSU Gets 380 Colt with Live RoundsMembers of the Gang Suppression Unit recently received a tip that led them to the Berger Field off Vernon Street in Belize City. Upon conducting searches in the area yesterday just before one o’clock in the afternoon, the officers found a 380 Colt Automatic handgun along with five live rounds of ammunition in the magazine […]

Hattieville Officers Confiscate Weed and GunsHattieville Police were busy over the weekend intersecting the flow of drugs and weapons in the area. On Sunday morning, October 23 at around nine forty five Police stopped a red Geo Prizm sedan driven by Angel Vidal of Central American Street in Benque Viejo del Carmen Town who was accompanied by a minor. In […]

Breaking Belize News

Moist weather to continue
The 24 hour forecast is for mostly cloudy skies tonight and tomorrow with a few sunny breaks tomorrow afternoon. Periods of rain, showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected mostly along the coast and over the south and spreading to some inland areas tomorrow afternoon. […]

Coast Guard shot to the head
Daniel Arzu, 28, a Coast Guard Officer, was gunned down on the Southside of Belize City this evening. He was shot once with a .9mm pistol to the head. The bullet reportedly entered his right temple and excited the top of his head. This […]

Hattieville police find sawed off shotgun
Police intelligence has led Hattieville police to recover a sawed off shot gun from a yard in American Site. According to police reports the shotgun was found at 8:30 on Sunday night. If no evidence is found linking the firearm to any person it […]

Metalhaven Bash 2016 – No Boundries/Sin Fronteras Concert
Metalhaven Bash 2016 will be the 6th annual rock concert in Benque Viejo del Carmen. Metalhaven Bash Concert is a non-profit yearly concert held in Benque Viejo. This year’s concert will be dedicated to the ever growing tensions between Belize and Guatemala. For […]

Two men try to rape male coast guard in Ladyville
A male Belizean coast guard was almost raped by two men in Ladyville early this morning. According to police reports, the coast guard was invited to the residence of the two men in Ladyville and then the trio began to drink alcohol. At around […]

Senior Counsel Michael Young to be laid to rest today
Michael Young, SC, will be laid to rest today. His funeral ceremony will be held at Wesley Church at 2 p.m.. Young was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside his home on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 Friends, family and employees of […]

Minor charged for attempted murder over love triangle
A 16-year-old minor has been charged with attempted murder and dangerous harm by police. He was charged in connection with the brutal beating and stabbing of Kenroy Daly, 17, which occurred at around 11 p.m. on Friday. Police found Daly lying on the street in […]

Edmond Castro sworn in as Minister of Transport and NEMO
Edmond Castro was officially sworn in today as the Minister of Transport and National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) by the Governor General Sir Colville Young at the Belize House in Belmopan. Castro was joined by his family, colleagues and CEO in his ministry. He […]

Missing minor found in good health
After more than 24 hours away from her family, Thania Binton, 14, has been found. According to ACP Chester Williams, the E.P. Yorke student was found yesterday afternoon in Belize City after she had been reported missing on Saturday. She had reportedly gone to […]

2 men badly beaten in the Belize District
Two men were badly beaten in the Belize District on Sunday. The nature of their injuries have not yet been made public but police have since recorded a report. The incident occurred somewhere in the police’s Rural Eastern Division. It is unclear what led […]

Two suicides on Sunday
There were two apparent suicides on Sunday. In two separate instances, two families will never be the same. According to preliminary police reports, the first incident occurred in Orange Walk and the second reportedly occurred in Dangriga. Police are yet to release further details. […]

Police recover guns and drugs from Belize City
Two firearms and a hefty load of drugs were removed from the streets of the south side in Belize City on Sunday. A police search in an abandoned lot in the Gungulung area of St. Martin’s area led police to a .9mm pistol containing […]

Cheap flights? Southwest proves to be no bargain once you land in HoustonWhen is a bargain not a bargain?
Probably when it is a low-priced, round-trip, Southwest Airlines ticket from Belize to Houston.
We’ve all seen them since Southwest began flying into Belize a year ago. I was among the cheerleaders since Southwest’s aggressive pricing (initially, at least) often forces the big carriers to drop prices. Win-win!
My wife, Rose, recently snagged a too-good-to-be-true ticket to Houston. She has a son in Oklahoma whom she hadn’t seen since we moved to Belize nearly three years ago. She also has a daughter in Arizona and, not coincidentally, a friend had organized a weeklong yoga retreat in Sedona for early October.
So she jumped on the Southwest sale. And offered to get me one, too.
Southwest’s Belize flight lands in Houston at 8 p.m. For Rose, that worked out OK. After clearing customs, she had just enough time to catch her flight to Oklahoma.
Me? Not so much. After 8 p.m., the pickings to Reno, San Francisco or Oakland are slim to none. So I had to stay overnight near Hobby Houston Airport and catch a plane the next morning.
Add the cost of the hotel to my bargain ticket and all that bargain euphoria is wiped out. All those hotels within two miles of the Hobby Airport? They must love Southwest. For the first time in my life, I envied Texans — at least those who could drive to Houston Hobby and pick up a cheap flight to Belize.

With every T-Shirt purchase, you get to support Raptor Research in BelizeWith the hawk migration monitoring season in full swing and in an effort to further expand conservation efforts, the Belize Raptor Research Institute (BRRI) has launched a Go-Fund Me campaign raising awareness and funds. A new Belize Raptor Watch t-shirt has been designed and is currently on sale. According to BRRI, their new t-shirt designed features the 4 primary raptor species found in Belize such as the Double-toothed Kite, Hook-billed Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite and the Plumbeous Kite. The institute reports that the Kite community has a high research priority because little information of their ecology and migration is available.
Profits from their t-shirt campaign will go directly toward continuing migration research and programs like the 2016 Raptor Certification Program, a program that trains Belizeans in raptor biology and field research.

Getting or Replacing a Belize Drivers License and Gas PricesAfter my Feb move I somehow could not find where my Belize drivers license got packed and I searched high and low to no avail. I happened to explain the situation to one of my traffic police friends and he told me exactly what to do to order a replacement.
I had to go to the police station and fill out a form and pay $8.00 then bring it back to the traffic department. This was so they had a police verified record on file of why I did not turn in my old license, which is a requirement to get a new one. Following that I went back to the traffic department ground floor of the San Pedro Town Council office and handed them the form. They immediately started processing my request and had me go upstairs to the cashier to pay for a new license.
Surprisingly from the time I found out what my next step was till I had my new license in hand was 20 minutes. I did not face one line up and I was able to use the same picture from the old one – I had felt like it could have easily been a mugshot day ha ha.

Belize’s #1 Natural Resource: “In the End, We Will Only Conserve What We Love…”The oil exploration that started in Belize two weeks ago, has been halted by the people who were un-informed of the decision and under the impression (RIGHTLY) that the government had agreed that there would be no oil exploration or drilling. (Dec 2015, “Belize Beats UNESCO Deadline to Ban Offshore Exploration) One could use the word ambush.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Cabinet of Belize (the executive branch of the Belize Government – the 14 UDP appointees and the Prime Minister) meet to decide if the exploration will continue. There is a boat already scheduled to return in mid-November.
Belize's Barrier Reef - our livelihood and the greatest asset this country has - is at risk as oil exploration starts. PLEASE READ AND HELP!
I have heard that the exploration is not for oil…it is for shipping routes. Why would you have an oil exploration company do that? Why would you be moving back and forth to map the sea floor 2000-5000+ feet deep? Even the largest mega-container ships have a draft of about 50 to 65 feet.
THE PEOPLE OF BELIZE NEED TO CONTINUE TO STAND UP – TO MAKE SURE THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS DO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT IN THAT MEETING TOMORROW.
AND ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE, WE NEED THE BUSINESSES AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THIS COUNTRY TO STAND UP AS WELL.
Sorry for the shouting but this is SO important.

International Sources

Seismic Surveys Successfully Coexist with Tourism and Fisheries Despite Erroneous Claims: International Association of Geophysical ContractorsEnvironmental activist groups have increasingly used misinformation targeting geophysical surveys in an effort to halt oil and gas exploration and development. One such example of their recent propaganda attempts to mislead the Belizean community to believe that seismic surveys are harmful to marine life and threaten fishing and tourism. These allegations are simply false.
The fact is, there is no scientific support for their statements. Their assertions are speculative and anecdotal at best, pointing to what might or may occur, but has not occurred after more than 50 years of global seismic data acquisition. No animals are injured as a result of sound from seismic surveys. The growing body of data supports this. Purported risks suggested by these groups have failed to materialize; the impact of seismic surveys has been grossly misrepresented and it is irresponsible to mislead the public that such speculations are demonstrated facts, when they are not.
Unfortunately, severely lacking is honest dialogue about the seismic survey process and impacts to the local economy and the marine environment. Seismic surveys are referred to by oil and gas opponents as “testing” or “blasting” that endangers marine life. The reality is the surveys are not “blasts” of any kind and these same surveys have been conducted around the world for the past 50 years for purposes other than oil and gas exploration; and during this time, there has not been one report of surveys harming marine life or interfering with commercial and recreational fishing nor tourism activities.

Don’t call us ‘Chiney’They are often referred to as ‘Chiney man’ throughout Jamaica, but according to one Chinese-Jamaican, the phrase is offensive to his people.
Having lived in Jamaica for over two decades, the St Elizabeth businessman who spoke on condition of anonymity believes Jamaicans are racist toward Chinese.
“When you go outside how much people say ‘hi Chinese people? No ‘Chiney man’ is what they call it? That’s a modest thing to you?” he questioned.
“When you go to America and they say, ‘you black person’, what are you going to say? or ‘black people go back to your country!’ How are you going to feel? You won’t feel good; it’s the same thing, you’ll find it offensive,” he continued.
He noted that Jamaicans’ attitude toward his people is unwarranted and sought to dispel false notions that Jamaicans tend to perpetuate about them.
“You see in Jamaica, you have more than 80 per cent of the people will say ‘Chiney man come in this country to make money and go weh; they don’t wanna spend money and help develop Jamaica’... but Chinese help out Jamaicans here by bringing the cheap stuff that people can get to live in here. Because if all the Chinese run away you would totally find out — the cost would be really, really high.”

Speaker sues attorney general, auditor generalThe Speaker of the National Assembly Michael Peyrefitte has filed a lawsuit against the Belize Government and the auditor general.
The lawsuit names Attorney General Vanessa Retreage and Auditor General Dorothy Bradley following the publication of a special audit on immigration and passport.
In August, Peyrefitte wrote a letter to Bradley stating that his name was erroneously listed in the audit for recommending someone for a passport.
Peyrefitte argued that because he is a member of the House of Representatives, he is indeed authorised to recommend someone for a passport.

Leaf Cutter Ants ~ Invade Our Backyard In Belize., 3.5min. A short video showing the invasion of our backyard in Belize, by Leaf Cutter Ants.
Sometime overnight, as we slept, the silent carnage started. By the time we were up and outside around 7:30 AM, very little of the green leaves and branches of one of the trees in our backyard remained.
This was a well orchestrated attack by a very well trained force. They had obviously trained for this and knew exactly what they were doing.
Despite the numbers of the invading force which can not be exactly confirmed (I would estimate tens of thousands), there were no injuries reported (except a couple of ant bites during filming) and no shots were fired.